Frame for curtain-lights.



J; M. FRISS. FRAME FOR fSURTAlN LIGHTS. APPLLCATIONTILED APR. 12. 1918.

Patented Feb. 18, 1919.

2 suEETs-sm:ET 1-.

INVENTOR 1 26s,

WITNESSES A'I'I'ORNEY i. M. FRISS.

FRAME FOR cumm LIGHTS. APPLlCATlON FILED- APR. 12, 1918- Patented Feb. 18, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES ATTOR N EY .iun ir rains.

Inn-w unu- 1 "Joan nenrrnrniss, on Racine, yrrscon srn.

rnannron GURTAI3-T-LIGI7IT$ Application filed a rii mic. serial No. 228,14tt.

To (ZZZ whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN M. Fines, a citizen of the United States, residing at Racine, in the county of Racine and State of Wisu consin, have invented a new and useful Frame for Curtain-Lights, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention has reference to frames for curtain lights, and its object is to provide a frame for holding transparent material which may be readily attached to curtains uch as are used'in automobiles, tents, porch curtains and other similar structures Where the walls containing the lights are of flexible character.

The inventioncomprises a metallic frame of channel form for receiving the edge portions of a piece of glass, or other transparent material, and the channel part of the frame is provided with outwardly directed extensions of metal or other material of such gage or character as to permit sewing of the extensions to a cloth curtain by means of an ordinary sewing machine. The frame, which for convenience may be termed a window frame,may be a one-piece structure, or may be made of two or more pieces hinged together to admit of folding, especially where the tra sparent material is itself of nonflexible nature as would be the case with glass. in any event, the holding frame for the pane orlight of transparent material provides a sturdy support of little weight fill which will not readily tear out from the curtain carryingit and which will'withstand usage, ordinarily destructive to the frames customarily employed for supporting the transparent material of curtain windows.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detail description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, with the understanding, however, that the invention is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings, but may be changed and modilied so long as such changes and modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is an elevation of the outer face of a folding window structure installed in a curtain and embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section, on an enlarged scale, through a portion of the window frame.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of parts making up the window frame, with the parts separated. but in possilon for assembly.

Fig. 4 is an edge view of the window structure of Fig. 1, but partially folded Fig. 5 is a front face view of a single Window frame on a larger scale than Figs-L Fig. 6 is a rear face View of the window frame shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fi 2, but showing a slightly modified construction.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view of a still further modification of the window frame.

Fig. 9-is a section on the line 99 of Fig. 6, but drawn on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 10 is a View showing a preliminary step in forming a window frame of rectangular outlines.

Fi 11 is a perspective view of a window frame corresponding to Fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a face view of a window frame of rounded contour.

lteferring to the drawings, and more par ticularly to Figs. 1 to 6, there is shown a frame 1 comprising two members 2 and 3 respectively, each composed of sheet metal with respective edges bent at right angles, as shown 4: and 5, so that when the edges 4c and 5 are brought into overlapping relation they willform the closed end or bottom portion of a channel; The angle edges 4:

and are of such depth that the angle edge Swill seat against the member 2 while the angle edge 6 is provided with tongue projections 7 which may be shaped for piercing purposes.

soldered or otherwise secured to the channel member 3 is a strip 8 of a width to provide ample surface for soldering the strip 8 to the outer face of the channel member 3 with a part of the strip projecting beyond the angle edge of the channel member 3 for a considerable distance.

When the two members 2 and 3 of the channel are brought together the tongues 7 are in the same plane as the angle edge 4: of the channel member The tongues 7 are close against the edge 5 as the parts are assembled and consequently may be made to pierce the strip 8 close to its point of projection. beyond the edge ll hether the tongues 7 be forced through the middle of the strip 8 or whether passages be initially formed for the tongue 7, these tongues extend through slots 9 and are afterward bent against that face remote from the channel as best appears in Fig. 2, but which also appears in igl 6. The tongues 7 act as locking means holding the two members and 3 of the channel against each other with the portion of the channel remote from the edges 4: and the mouth of the channel.

The channel or channelsare arranged to form frame, either rectangular "as shown in Figs. 1, 5, and 11., or of curved form, either round as indicated in Fig. 12, or some other shape customarily employed in automobile windows.

lhe channel. frame is employed to receive and hold a pane 2 of glass or some other suitable light-transmitting material, such for instance as celluloid, but the invention is best adapted for use with glass. The channel frames 1 are well adapted to hold such glass panes and to be assembled or dismantled as the case may be, one member, say the mem her 3 of the frame, having the glass pane seated therein, after which the member 2 is applied and the tongues 7 projecting through the'slots 9 are bent over into fastening position.

The strip 8 may be made of metal, such as thin flexible sheet copper, of a gage readily traversed by an ordinary sewing needle and especially by the needle of a sewing machine,

. so that the copper strip 8 may be fastened to may be bent on the cloth 10 by stitching 11. The cloth 10 may represent an ordinary automobile cover or curtain. In the installed frame the strip 8 is usually sewed t0 the inner face of the curtain 10 so that it does not appear on the out side of the curtain, and since the channel frames may be made of relatively thin gage metal, although much thicker than the strips 8, they do not project to any material extent beyond the outer face of the curtain l0 and so are not obtrusive in appearance.

The channel frames 1 are readily constructed, especially in the rectangular form, of suiilciently long strips 1 of metal notched along one edge, as shown at 1 in Fig. 10, and subsequently bent along a longitudinal line 1, shown in Fig. 10, so that these strips line 1 into the angle form best appearing in Fig. 3, and then bent at right angles to the plane of the side of the channel strip into rectangular form, as indicated in Fig. 11, this being permitted by the notches 1". Where the edges of the notches meet and where the ends of the strip are brought together they may be soldered or united in any other appropriate manner.

Wl'ien the window frames are of rounded 5 constituting and stiffer V mo a ses or oval construction they may be made circumferentially of one or more parts, a onepart round frame being shown in Fig.- 32, with the meeting ends joined by solder or otherwise, with the members forming the glass-holding channel held together by the prongs as in the rectangular frames.

It is customary to fold curtains in automobiles, especially the larger curtains, but it is obvious that relatively stiff frames, as are provided for by this invention, prevent foldiug. In order to overcome this diliiculty the more extensive windows are made of two or more frames 1 in close relation, with the cloth 10 bridging spaces between the frames, although the latter may be brought into virtual contact at their meeting edges. In the showing of Fig. 1 the cloth 10 is omitted. between the adjacent sides of the frames of each pair of frames because in such case the presence of the cloth is out of the question. Furthermore, the strips 8 are omitted at the meeting sides of the frames while adjacent to and above and below the frames at their meeting edges there are provided reinforcing strips which may be secured to the curtain cloth 10 by the same stitching 1.1 that is provided for attaching the metal strips 8 to the curtain cloth or fabric. The strips 12 serve as reinforcements without presenting material bull: and prevent tearing or other injury on the folding lines; lVhere the windows are placed any material distance apart at their adjacent edges, portions 13 of the cur tain may interpose, as shown in Figs. 1 and l.

It is not necessary, although it is preferred, to provide sewing strips 8 of metal, since, as shown in Fig. 8, it is feasible to use sewing strips 14: of felt or cloth or other suitable. material. In such case, there may be provided a channel member 15 of suitable depth to seat a glass pane 2 and one side wall of this channel member has a return portion 16 folded upon itself, as shown at 17, to rcceivcand clamp a corresponding edge of the sewing strip i l. This arrange be taken as indicative of any suitment may able llOl(l1!1 I means for the sewing strip and of channel mom- 1,. any suitable arrangement ber.

Instead of a two-part channel member, as shown in detail in Figs. 2 and a one-piece channel member 17, shown in Fig. 7, may be employed. In order to give proper stillness to the channel member 1"? it may be made of heavy gage metal, while along one wall of it is a sewing strip 8 of metal soldered or otherwise joined to said all of the. channel member 17 and joined to the curtain '10 by stilching 11 or otherwise.

The structure is such that a particularly sturdy frame is provided and the attachment of the frame to the curtain is particularly resistant to distorting forces, even sulfinaoaeea w cient to pull apart other window frames and the holding devices'therelor. The window construction is streng enough to permit the use or. double thick glass if desired, or even of plate glass for the windows.

While copper may" be obtained in thin sheet form and very pliable but strong enough to serve for a sewing strip and still be readily traversed by a sewing needle, it

is to be understood that other sheet metals may be employed for the same purpose. provided they have the characteristics necessary for the practice of the invention. The channel members, or in the case of a one-piece channel, the channel member may be made of considerably heavier sheet metal of a stiffer nature, such as tin-plate, or galvanized plate or the like.

The construction, best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, is advantageous in that the channel member 3 with the strip 8 soldered or otherwise secured thereto may be sewed in place and painted, after which the glass pane :2 may be installed and the channel member 2, already painted, may be applied and by turning over or upsetting the tongues 7, and the frame may be completed with the chan nel member holding the glass in place against accidental displacement or rattling.

What is claimed is 2-- 1. A window frame for installation in flexible walls, comprising a metallic frame of channel structure for receiving a pane of light-transmitting material, and provided with an extension constituting a sewin strip for securing the frame to the flexible wall and of a character to be traversed by a sewing needle.

2. A window frame for installation in a flexible wall, comprising a metallic channel portion for receiving and holding; a transparent pane, said channel portion having an outwardly extending thin sewing strip of relatively soft metal.

3. A window for installation in a. flexible wall, comprising a glass pane, a relatively stifl' frame receiving and holding the edge portions of the pane, and a metallic sewing strip extending from the frame in a direction away from the glass and of a thinness and character to permit sewing the strip to the flexible wall by a sewing machine.

4. A window frame for installation in a flexible wall and capable of supporting a glass pane, comprising a channel portion of relatively heavy gage metal and provided with an extension of thin flexible sheet metal of a gage permitting the stitching; of said sheet metal and flexible wall together.

5. A window frame, comprising two memhers each with an angle edge portion oven lapping the angle edge portion of the other member, one member having a metal sewing strip fast thereto and projecting beyond the angle edge portion thereol, and the other sewing strip whereby the two angle members are secured together to form a channel and held by the tongues turned over against the outer face of the sewing strip.

6. A window frame for attachment to a flexible wall, comprising two members each with an, angle edge, said angle edges overlapping in the assembled lframe, one memher having a sewing strip attached thereto and the other member having fastening tongues for extending through the sewing strip to be bent against that face of the lat tor remote from the angle member. carryin it.

5. A loldable flexible wall having an opening therethrough, and a pair at relatively stifl glass holding l'rames covering the openings with the adjacent edges or" the frames in juxtaposition, said frames having sewing strips on the edges adjacent to the edges of the opening, with lines of stitching traversing the sewing strips and the material of the wall to secure the frames thereto, and flexible reinforcing strips outside of the margins of the frames and bridging the spaces between the juxtaposed edges of the frames, said reinforcing strips being traversed by the lines of stitching by which the sewing strips are made fast to the wall.

8. lVindow construction for foldable lie-Kt ble walls, comprising relatively rigid fumes with adjacentedges in juxtaposition and provided with sewing strips extending from the other edges of the frames, whereby the window frames may be secured in the flexible wall and the latter may be hilded along a line between the adjacent edges of the frames.

9. ll. curtain structure for automobiles, having adjacent relatively inflexible win dow frames mounted therein, with those portions of the window structure adjacent to the meeting edges of the window frames provided with reinforcing flexible bridging strips, and the window frames along the edges other than the adjacent edges provided with outwardly extending sewing strips for attachment of the frames to the flexible walls and the sewing being continned along the bridging strips.

10. ll indow construction for foldablellexible walls, comprising relatively still frames for holding the glass panes, with the adjacent edges of the frames in juxtaposition, said frames being provided with sewing strips extending outwardly from one of the edges for the attachment of the frames to said walls, and fieniblereintorcing strips bridging the space between the ad jacent frames across the line of told, said sewing strips being formed of relatively soft metal of a character to be traversed by a sewing needle, and the said reinforcing Ml ll liltl llll llb

strips being secured in place by the same means which attach the meta strips to said Walls.

11. A Window frame for installation in flexible walls, comprising a metallic frame of relatively heavy metal construct-e6. to receive and suppert a pane of ligl it-sransw feting material, 211101 (IL metallic. sewing strip made of thin metal 01- e ehm'aeteix1e permit sewing the strip to the flexible Well by a sewing mz-iehine, said sewing strip being i eeeeee permenentiy attached along; one fate of the said frame and projecting beyendv that edge of the same remote from the said pane.

In testimony that I claim the fere eing 15 as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signw ture in the presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN MARTIN FRISS.

Witnesses:

A mee B. JENSEN, M. PARKER. 

